Which to use
“Gefälle” is a noun and “gefällig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,228
- “Gefälle” frequency rank
- #18,557
- “gefällig” frequency rank
- 37785
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gefälle | gefällig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Grad der Neigung einer Straße oder eines Geländes | jemandem einen Dienst (Gefallen) erweisend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Gefälle and gefällig apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Gefälle is [ɡəˈfɛlə] while gefällig is [ɡəˈfɛlɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37785, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gefälle is recorded at frequency rank #19,228, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlə]. gefällig is at rank #18,557, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈfɛlɪç].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 37785, this pair ranks #1,581,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Gefälle vs gefällig
Shared letters: efglä. Private to "Gefälle": -. Private to "gefällig": i.
"Gefälle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "gefällig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Gefälle" and "gefällig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Gefälle" or "gefällig"?
Remembering Gefälle vs gefällig
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Gefälle”; for an adjective, it's “gefällig”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Gefälle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable